


Cleverness Is In The Eye of the Beholder

by permanentchaos



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Canon deaths are mentioned, F/M, Ultimate Enemy setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 20:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11882040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/permanentchaos/pseuds/permanentchaos
Summary: Valerie really isn't as smart as she thought she was. Daniel Fenton is dead, but this is starting to feel a lot like he's not.





	Cleverness Is In The Eye of the Beholder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyAudentium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAudentium/gifts).



> This is a birthday present to the lovely Audi on the Danny Phantom Discord. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it!

It’s late, the inky black sky douses the world in a blanket of night. Her annual patrol is tedious, quiet, and she knows she should be thankful for that, instead she feels the odd clump of disappointment sitting heavy in the pit of her stomach. Her hoverboard hums as she sways in and out the gaps between buildings, she knows she needs to be thorough, that distractions are dangerous at best, but she can’t help the drift her mind seems to wander. As usual, her focus is caught on one particular person- no, he’s long gone being that now. Ghost. _Murderer_ she reminds herself. Who of what he once was has changed and warped, shriveled into the husk of ectoplasm and anger that constantly haunts her nightmares. She still wonders though, every day, every night, like an awful film replaying through her memories. His smile, his laugh. Now shrouded in a darkness that has taken hold, a darkness that no matter how many times she has tried to break, she can’t. Valerie is the only one left now, what once was his family is gone, their friends, lost in a blaze of death, alive only in the minds of those who remain.

They will soon be forgotten.

He won’t though.

Never.

This game they now play, some twisted version of cat and mouse that causes him so much amusement frustrates her more than anything else. She knows he could kill her, so easily though she hates to admit it. His powers, his deftness for adaption, has developed on a scale so rapidly she often wonders why he bothers half the time. He could kill them all with a flick of his wrist, and yet he doesn’t. At first Valerie was sure it’s just because the thrill of the chase is just as much fun for him as the kill, and if obliterates them all...well what kind of life would he lead? Sure, there’s a whole world outside Amity Park, but Valerie guesses that home is home whether you’re alive or dead, and that must mean something to the boy who once swore to protect this town with his every breath.

She’s been wondering about him, now she knows the truth. It took her a long time, a twist of something in her gut every time they fought. The first time the suggestion drifted through her mind she had laughed. Laughed so hard that she had begun to cry, until her body wracked with sobs and shook with tension. Her father looked at her oddly for days, a pity that she just couldn’t stomach. He’d tried to mention it once, but her eyes lit with a fire that she didn’t think she still had and he quickly changed the topic. She didn’t want to talk about it, she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it, but the days quickly and quietly passed and every time she saw him, she couldn’t help but think-

_What if?_

What if her Danny is still there? Trapped under the many layers of Dan. Sometimes she thinks she sees him, through the clouds of darkness, a slight flash of green tinged with blue, a soft smile or smirk that is just so _Fenton_. A second later it’s gone, and a piercing red that rattles her very being is there, looking through her almost knowingly. Tempting her to reach out, as though that was all it took, a simple touch or smile, to bring him back to their world.

Valerie knows this is dangerous ground, she shouldn’t let herself get attached to someone who is dead.

She’s not as smart as she thought she was.

There’s a movement in the corner of her eyes, a flash of white and there he is. She sees him moving through the shadows, his eyes cutting through the night, two red orbs in eager search for their prey. Adjusting her footing, Valerie slights her body to the left, maneuvering her board to begin pursuit. This is how it always starts, he’ll move through the night, dancing around her until she spots him and he’ll slow just enough for her to catch his trail again, and then he’s off.

She’s speeding through the city, her sensors flickering a mile a minute as they pick up on the trail of ectoplasm, urging her forward. She’s close, then she’s not. She hates this part, feeling like there’s almost a succession until suddenly the sensor is silent and she ends up back at square one. Tonight however, he seems unwilling to play this game for long. It takes Valerie a minute to realize he’s led her to the outskirts of the city, stupid really, she’s long out of range of the towns protective shielding or any help should she need it. Her blind faith in his unwillingness to tire of her is the only thing that keeps her moving forward instead of retreating back. He won’t kill her. She hopes. _She prays._

“Hello Valerie.”

His voice still after all this time causes a shiver down her spine, his tone is almost light, pleasant, but the unveiled sense of threat is still there. Valerie spins and there he is, flaming white hair almost translucent and glowing, red eyes drawing up and down her body as he shoots her a lazy smile. His arms are crossed over his chest as his cape flutters loosely in the wind behind him.

She looks at him and she hates him. She despises everything he is, makes her feel sick to the bottom of her stomach. After all he’s done, all the innocent people he’s hurt she wants to make him pay, her fingers tremble with the mere thought of it. Thoughts however, are no more reliable unless their followed with actions, and action it seems, is something Valerie struggles with. She misses the old days, when things were simple and she would often shoot first and ask questions later, this tactic has now lost its charm. There are too many variables to consider, to many risks to take and not enough luck in the world to always take them. There’s also this unidentifiable pull in her chest, that’s telling her not to turn back, to ride this out, _to stay_. She once believed Daniel Fenton was worth fighting for and that thought hasn’t seem to have lessened any, despite the fact that whatever was left of that 15 year old boy she had once had feelings for has definitely gone.

He’s not Danny anymore, she has to remember that.

He’s not.

Danny Fenton died years ago, now all that remains is him.

He’s Dan and she really should know better.

“Long time no see.”

Valerie doesn’t answer, she knows there isn’t really much point. When he talks his voice shrouds her, envelops her and she wants, she doesn’t know why but she does. He steals what’s left of her own resistance and crushes it in his hands and she feels weak. His smile says he knows this, he knows exactly what he’s doing to her day after day and he’s enjoying it. Her heart clenches and she grinds her teeth, fighting down the urge of nausea that has overcome her. She’s so stupid. _Stupid stupid stupid._

Valerie is gripping the handle of her blaster before her brain even registers she’s moving, she’s aiming and taking the shot. She misses. He laughs.

“You’ll have to be quicker than that.” She hates him.

She shoots again and again, and he dodges each shot. He can tell she’s not on her A game today, but throws his own ectoblast back in her direction anyway. She shifts her footing to the left and dodges the attack, twisting her body around to get a better angle as she barrels towards him firing rapidly. Dan’s laughing again, a deep rich sound that creeps around her heart. He moves off, darting through the darkness and Valerie follows, grappling through her utility belt until she pulls out an ecto grenade and throws it just in front of his flight path. He veers violently to the right and Valerie moves too, shifting slightly so that her well aimed shot lands squarely between his shoulders. There’s a shout as he flies up, more agile with his body in the air due to years of experience than she would ever be with her board and he turns, a look of surprise almost alighting his face.

“Nice shot, you’re definitely getting better.” She growls in retaliation, he’s laughing in her face, showing that he knows this is a fight she’ll never be able to win. The burn mark on his back doesn’t seem to phase him, there’s an acrid smell of burning and a tinge of smoke filtering into the air from behind him, but Dan simply rolls his shoulders a little and opens his arms wide, as if inviting her to take another shot.

“Maybe. Or maybe you’re just getting slow.” There’s a tenor in his voice when he chuckles, and a deadly look in his eyes that challenges her to say that again.

“Maybe.” It’s her only warning before he raises his arm and throws it forward, a green glow emanating from his hand before an ectoblast shoots directly at her face. She moves too slow, and it catches the side of her board as she tries to move out the way and Valerie flies wildly off course. Numbers fly across the digital display of her helmet and before she can even begin to correct herself a fist flies out of nowhere and makes contact with her mask. She yells in surprise and her arms fling out to try and gain some balance, there’s a thumping in her head and something wet dripping from her nose which she definitely suspects is blood.

Valerie’s mind is scrambling through a list of mental commands when there is a tightness at her throat. She registers her board disconnecting from the panels of her boots and there’s a crash in the back of mind which distantly sounds like her equipment slamming into the ground below. She grunts as the force of a wall hits her back and when she finally manages to shake herself of her overcoming dizziness and open her eyes, Valerie Gray is staring at none other than the face of Dan Phantom.

He tightens his grip on her neck and immediately she grasps his arms, hands clawing desperately through the lines of her suit at his bulky body, trying to get him to relinquish his grip. He’s not choking her, not really, but there’s a panic shooting through her body that says all he would have to do is squeeze a little more, a little tighter to start restricting her airway.

“Relax. I’m not going to kill you, at least not yet.” He’s smiling at her now and she growls, she hates it, hates how similar he looks to- knowing this would have become the face of the man she would have been close with, built a life with as friends if nothing else.

“Let. Me. Go.” She’s punching his arms now, her fists slamming repeatedly over his taut muscle, she’s sure it’s not making much of a difference, but the feeling of fighting no matter how hopelessly seems to quell the beat of panic.

“Okay.” His hand loosens and Valerie suddenly realises her mistake. She’s falling, back scraping down the hard lines of the wall and she twists her body, trying to form some sort of shape in which landing from this height won’t kill her. She falls, until suddenly she’s not, only feet from the ground. She glances up at Dan’s smirking face and he winks before letting her go again, this time allowing her to tumble to the ground. Valerie tries to lift herself up off the ground, keep moving, don’t stop, don’t let him-

There’s a hand on her arm as she’s hauled up and forcefully pinned to the wall. Her head slams back against the concrete but she doesn’t care, glaring at the man- no, _ghost_ before her through her helmet.

“Well isn’t this a pretty picture.” Valerie struggles, but his body is too heavy, to strong, and he leans forward pushing her further into the wall. There’s suddenly a hand at the back of her head, then a short hiss and Valerie finds herself kicking out desperately, before her helmet comes apart and is roughly pulled off her head.

“There you are.” Valerie tries to spit in his face, there’s a taste of iron on her lips which she knows is the blood from her nose now starting to dry and crack. Dan grabs her cheeks and squeezes tight, preventing from pursing her lips any further.

“Now that’s not very nice.”

“Fuck you.” She manages to stutter out and then he’s laughing at her again, she’s glowering at him, hoping that he can’t hear or feel the rapid thumping of her heart. He’s too close, it’s too much. She can seen the way his skin glistens from a slight sheen of sweat, the sharp detailing of his nose, ever so slightly crooked probably where it’s been broken in a fight. There’s a slight musk from him, and Valerie is instantly reminded of Danny after gym class, but this isn’t him and this isn’t class. This is ten years and a lot of awful events later. This is what Danny has become after the loss of everyone he loved, this was his last resort, this was his suicide.

And she doesn’t want him to let go.

“Now now now, if I take my hand away are you going to play nice?” Valerie doesn’t answer him, they both know she’s got nothing to say. She can feel the hard callouses on his hand and wonders if they were there before he became Dan or if this was just years of hardship and fighting. He releases her cheeks and she tries to move back, tries to sink into the wall. He tilts his head, watching her movements as if curious. They stare at each other and there’s an odd calmness. Her breathing is still heavy, though she begins to wonder if that’s not from the exertion of the fight but more because she’s suddenly registering how close he’s now standing. There’s a thrill through her body knowing that this could be the moment, Dan could easily reach up and choke her right now if he wanted to. Clutch and crush her unprotected throat with his hands and she doesn’t seem to feel the fear that she knows she should and she now knows he can hear the thumping of her heart, the smirk on his face tells her so.

“Nervous?”

“No.”

“Scared then?”

“Of you phantom? Never.”

They both can see the lie for what it is, but he doesn’t call her out and she doesn’t make like she knows. He grabs her chin and tilts her head up so he can look directly into her eyes, she stares defiantly back.

“Always so difficult.”

“Why make things easy for you?”

His eyes change to green and Valerie feels her heart clench. “Because you’re still searching for something you can never have.”

“You don’t know me ghost.”

His eyes change back, “Maybe, maybe not.” he hums moving forward, his nose rubs against her cheek and she closes her eyes. She doesn’t relax, not once as he moves along her face, down to her neck, not even when he places a soft kiss on her neck. Valerie certainly doesn’t sigh, certainly doesn’t grip one of the arms pinning her, certainly doesn’t bite her bottom lip.

She’s really not as smart as she thought was. He’s going to be the death of her. She can’t bring herself to care.

She’s kissing him before she knows what she is doing. His lips are pliant and soft though cold. He’s gripping her waist with one hand and grasping at her hair tightly with the other and she’s almost losing her mind at how ridiculously good this feels.

She’s not desperate, not love starved or wanting for attention, even the intimate kind but he’s bringing out of her all the things that she’s long since stowed away. She’s craving more, her hands scrabbling at his shoulders, his chest, it’s not enough she needs to be closer.

There’s a heat crawling through her body and a thumping in her chest and a train of thought that is slowly coming to a stop.

_“I want you.”_

She’s moaning into his mouth, his words crawling over her skin. She’s been wanted before, especially as a teen being part of the elite at high school, that was until she wasn’t. She’s had lovers before, some have gone as soon as they came, others stayed, but nothing had ever set her on edge. Not like this.

This is wrong, so so wrong. Valerie almost wants to scream, wants to push him away and put a blaster to his head, pull the trigger and never look back but she can’t. That part of her mind is frozen, all but abandoned to this unbinding feeling under skin.

Dan is so soft when his hands are harsh. His lips move as if they are praising every part of her, her lips, her cheeks, neck. His hands grapple with her body, smoothing over the hard joints of her armor and she wishes with an abandonment that there weren’t so many layers between them, that he would tear off her armor and take her apart piece by piece. She can’t feel the contours of his skin through the confines of her gloves but she imagines almost what it would be like, to rub her hands across his body, to feel his skin under hers. Valerie doesn’t even notice she’s moaning his name until he pulls back, an unfamiliar glint in his eyes. She doesn’t want this _she doesn’t_. Yet the minute she meets his eyes that thought goes out of the window and she’s grabbing his neck and pulling him down to meet her own lips.

They stay. For seconds, minutes, hours, Valerie has no record of time. Her lips are sore, plump and red, Dan nips at her bottom lip before pulling away. There’s a silence and an understanding that passes through them.

Nothing is changing.

Everything has.

_This can’t happen again._

Valerie wipes her mouth with the back of her gloved hand and pushes at Dan’s chest, he moves away with no fight. She bends down to pick up her helmet, dusting it off as she does so. Dan simply watches her, tracking her movements through blown eyes.

“Your boards over there.” He gestures across to his left and Valerie glances over, taking in the sight of her mangled glider, she glares at him. He has no sympathy in his eyes, just veiled amusement as he shrugs with one shoulder.

“Same time tomorrow?” Valerie doesn’t get to reply, doesn’t get to tell him what a stupid and crazy idea this is, that he is a ghost and she is a human and she hates him. Detests him so very much that the thought of him ever touching her again makes her nauseous. Dan seems to know her train of thought anyway as he winks at her and takes off, shooting into the sky and through the darkness. Valerie is left alone, gripping the edges of her helmet as she quietly thinks, _same time tomorrow._

She’s not as smart as she thought she was.


End file.
